Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 107

Parents always do this kind of thing—trying to make life a little easier for me with the Smiths.

It’s always about me and my situation.

Eventually, Camila Davis caved. “Fine, I’ll call and ask.”

Without wasting another second, she picked up her phone and stepped aside, dialing Barbara Jones.

It rang for ages before Barbara finally picked up, sounding less than thrilled. “What’s up?”

Camila kept her tone even. “My parents are in Harrisburg and wanted to stop by and say hello. Do you and your husband have a minute?”

She tossed it out there casually, not really expecting Barbara to say yes. Honestly, she was already bracing herself for a rejection.

And sure enough, Barbara didn’t disappoint.

In fact, she went the extra mile with a particularly annoying excuse. “Why didn’t you mention this earlier? I’m already booked to fly out of the country with my sisters. If you’d said something last night, maybe I could have delayed my flight. But…”

Suddenly, Barbara’s tone shifted, turning snarky. “Honestly, what would we even talk about with your parents? They don’t understand business, they wouldn’t get our conversations. It’d just be awkward, everyone sitting there in silence! If they were in the same circle, maybe we could talk shop, you know what I mean?”

Camila heard the contempt and smugness loud and clear. Her eyes went cold.

She’d known all along that this call was a mistake.

But it was this call that finally woke her up.

She shouldn’t have tried to protect her parents from this. They needed to see the Smith family’s true colors.

Camila’s voice was ice. “You’re right, there really isn’t much to say… After all, we’re just not on the same page.”

“My parents spent their lives teaching, helping hundreds of students get into top colleges. They’re respected, kind, and generous people. Not everyone’s obsessed with money, you know. Some people still have a little dignity,” she finished, then promptly hung up.

Camila stared at the floor, afraid to see the disappointment in their eyes—or worse, hear them object.

Her parents were old-fashioned. They believed in marriage, in keeping up appearances, in everything staying “proper.” A divorce would ruin the reputation they’d spent decades building.

But she couldn’t take it anymore. So she finally spoke. “Jordan and I… we’ve been done for a long time. There’s no fixing it. I’ve thought it through, and divorce is the only way forward. So…”

She trailed off, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry, Mom, Dad. I know this isn’t what you wanted, and I hate making you worry.”

Her parents didn’t say anything right away.

After a long silence, Melissa finally spoke. “What do you mean, just ‘drifting apart’? If you ask me, Jordan’s got somebody else, doesn’t he?”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.